Right, but I think someone up there said Len was speculating character meals would get bumped up to 2 credits.
The costs when I took my niece in September blew me away, because when we went in spring 21 we really only ate at 50s Prime Time and one other lunch place for TS and before that we always used dining plans. So after our first $140 character meal (for one adult and one child, at lunch) I decided for my sister’s trip in January I was planning and budgeting the meals.
Ok fine!
I think it might be separate.
You pay a fee to book a LL ahead of time.
You want more day of? You buy G+
OMG! I can’t believe you said that!
Hmmm, I’m not so sure Len is right on that.
Aren’t character melas pretty much on a par with a typical choice at most TS restaurants - like Liberty Tree or Steakhouse 71 for example?, Maybe one or two, like Topolino’s breakfast which just seems extortionate to me, but not H&V or Tusker House.
The Instagram didn’t load for me, not sure if it’s ‘cos I don’t have Instagram or what.
Len guesses that QS DDP will be $60-65, it was $52.50 before Covid.
He did not come up with a solid guess of TS price,
Also, he stated that dropping one snack off the plan is already an effective $6 price increase.
Pay TWICE?!
FTN
Hey, you get what you pay for 
Well, maybe I’ll just pay the once for the things that really matter.
If this turns out to be true and not just a pot that @ThorKat is stirring, brat that she is 
But honestly I wondered if it would be a hybrid.
I didn’t think about paying twice, but I thought about paying more to plan ahead, and less on day off if you want to roll the dice
Not sure why this was a response to me. I never said it never makes sense for anyone else, did I? Much the opposite. I was being open-minded by engaging and asking questions.
Like you said, I was just trying to explain why it didn’t make sense to me, and why it might not make sense to other people.
So, it looks like they’ve made all non-signature character meals except Akershus the same price now *that one is $5 more for whatever reason), so that means they will be valued at $70+ for lunch or dinner. Steakhouse 71 is more in line with Coral Reef. Unless they raise the cost to $100 a day I can’t see a $70+ meal being included as one credit. Unless maybe they limit you to one character meal per X nights of dining plan… that would probably be hard to implement, but it would help alleviate overwhelming demand.
As an aside, I find it hard to believe that they really up the prices of Cape May and Liberty Tree Tavern to equal a character meal on peak days, but then I’ve never gone during those times so I guess I really have no idea what prices are like then. The whole idea of dynamic pricing for just the all you can eat places is so weird to me.
Or what if it’s kinda sorta the same as it is now, only you have the extra option to pay extra to book X number of LL in advance, and maybe they include that as a perk for club level or something.
But think about if you would have done all character meals if you paid out of pocket? It’s forcing you to max it out and spend more money than you probably would have.
I can’t see them charging $50+ per day if you’re only getoi3-4 rides (non-liners). They may as well charge $100 and make it like UOR Express pass which I wouldn’t want.
Yep, that’s it right there.
Ummmm… maybe? With my nephew? Nope. With my older niece? Definitely would have… those were often her favorite parts of the trips. Younger niece? Hard to say… she’s had them when she was very young and doesn’t remember, and then they weren’t a thing for her 6-8 year trips. She really liked the 2 (Chef Mickey and Hollywood & Vine lunch) we did in September on the trip with just her and I, but she chose to skip them (Akershus and Cape May Cafe brunch) in favor of other food and a different treat during the January trip.
We used to always get the deluxe dining plan, because my nephew and older niece were adventurous eaters and liked to eat off the adult menu (which was an unofficial benefit)… that added quite a bit of value on its own, and my sister is white a convenience princess so we were never really over the top about maximizing value. To be honest, it wasn’t until the last few years I was even really aware of what meals cost.
Yes - this part sucks. They should have an Alcoholic and non-alcoholic option. It especially doesn’t make sense to charge someone under 21 the same price. No a milk shake or mock tail is not comprable.
Do you need to get your money’s worth? Do you like the all inclusive feeling? Does it fit into your family’s eating style? Do you just want it because it’s free?
For us, it is about getting our money’s worth.
BUT the math DOES work for us if we did a lot of character meals and all-you-can eat meals that are 1 TS credits. Or we do a split stay and only get the DP for one of the splits.
The DP doesn’t work for us most of the time primarily because we don’t drink alcohol (Though I have heard we can order a fancier non alcoholic beverage, but think SUGAR!) and we would never order all the food included on the DP because we can’t eat everything included on the DP! After the Fantasmic Dining Package at Sci Fi in February, it will need to be less about getting value for our money moving forward!
The last time our whole family went to WDW was in 2019. And I did the math for the DP. I opted out of it. Over 10 days, we spent $55.38/person/day. We had no budget and people ordered whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. We had Storybook Dining, Candlelight Processional Lunch Package at Garden Grill, CA Grill, Grand Floridian Cafe, the Boathouse, and Homecomin as our TS. Unless it was a charge per person, we usually didn’t order an entree for each person. And my family won’t eat much if there was a “nice” meal that day!
And because of our getting our money’s worth mentality, we find it more relaxing to pay out of pocket. That way, we just order whatever we want and not worry about breaking even. If we all want just salad, so be it! Nobody is going to be forced to eat steak at every TS to get our money’s worth!